Party

This article is about gatherings of creatures or heroes. For the celebration held after a jackpot is won in Dungeon Keeper 2, see Casino § Jackpot.

A party is a group of creatures, who are led by one who is chosen as its leader, and attack whatever (s)he attacks. Parties are either defined by a level's script and spawn at an Action Point or Hero Gate, created in a Barracks (Dungeon Keeper), or created in possession by ordering creatures to follow you (Dungeon Keeper 2).

Dungeon Keeper

A party is an assembly of up to seven creatures, six of whom follow a leader (the remaining party member). There are two types of party: normal, and Tunneller. A Tunneller party, as its name implies, has a Tunneller, whom the rest of the party follows as he tunnels to the party's target. Hero parties are often defined (in the script) and used in levels. A party enters the level via an Action Point or a Hero Gate. Party members can have individual objectives, including defending the rest of the party. If a party member is split from the rest of the party, (s)he sometimes (literally) zooms back to it.

A level can have up to 16 parties. Parties in the script must have the following defined: internal creature type, the creature's experience level, the quantity of gold (s)he holds, and his/her objective.

Temporary parties can also be created in-game via a Barracks. However, some creatures refuse to group with each other: Horned Reaper, and creatures who are natural enemies of each other. In KeeperFX, the Must Obey spell can force Horned Reapers to group.

Leadership

Barracks

For parties created in the Barracks, the leader is supposedly either whoever is most experienced, or whomever the player possesses (in practice, it's always the latter; there is no party (and therefore no leader) until one is possessed). The party disbands once its leader is depossessed (though in KeeperFX, its members return to the Barracks).

The manual claims that a crown icon appears above the head of the leader, but, for the above-mentioned reasons, this is never seen. It is not even seen in multiplayer when looking at another player's party leader.^{[verification needed]}

Script

Script-defined non-Tunneller parties go by some rather queer rules that give strange favour to the second creature in determining its leadership:

• If all creatures are level 1, the leader is whoever is defined first.
• If one creature outright has the highest experience level, (s)he is leader, unless that creature is the first one and the second one is level 2 or higher, in which case the second creature is leader.
• If multiple creatures jointly have the highest experience, the leader is whoever (of the creatures with the joint-highest experience) is defined first, unless the second creature is one of them, in which case (s)he is always leader.
• If the first creature has the highest (see #2 above) or joint-highest experience, the second creature in the party is the leader (even if (s)he has a lower experience level), unless (s)he is level 1.

Each creatures' speed, strength, arsenal, etc are irrelevant.

For Tunneller parties, the Tunneller is always the leader, regardless of who has the highest experience or the other creatures' positions within the party definition. Starting with The Deeper Dungeons, if the leader of a hero party dies, a new one is chosen.

In KeeperFX at least, party members whose objective is to defend the party are a lower priority for leadership consideration.

Dungeon Keeper 2

Grouping

To create or add to a party in possession, highlight a creature and press the Possessed Group Select hotkey; however, an unhappy or angry creature may ignore this order. The creature whom the player is possessing is always its leader. To remove a creature from a group, press the Remove From Group hotkey. The party disbands once you exit possession.

A.I. party members will only be able to attack and defend themselves from hostiles who are from a certain short distance from the party leader.

Tips

• Use grouping to take down a stronger foe by teaming your weaker possession subject with other creatures.
• Grouped creatures still can get combat experience!!!

Bugs

• While possessing a creature, and using grouping to form a party, as the creatures have a tendency to not walk but run after you if you are far away (or sometimes even if close by), when disbanding the group (either by exiting possession or not) the creatures tend to remain in run mode. Even after being picked up and put down (and possibly after conversions too). This run mode GREATLY helps them to get to Hatcheries and Treasuries compared to their annoyance timer. It also helps them get to and back from Library and Workshop duties. Especially great for Bile Demons, and look really cool for Dark Angels. This is a beneficial bug. This way you can make your own creatures more self reliant. Obviously the less creatures you have, the less tedious this is to do for all your inhabitants. It also helps showcase existing run animations for documentation. Be warned that placing a creature in the Combat Pit cancels this running setting.
  • Other possible good idea speed-up subjects:
    • Explorers so they get unhappy less frequently: Firefly, Rogue, Thief, Fairy
    • Vampire, in case he'd get into water so he may get out faster.
    • Slow creatures: Giant, Dwarf

Trivia

• In-pit pit fighters, current prisoners, and active torture victims cannot be grouped.
• Creatures stranded in the Temple pool can be grouped, likewise outside creatures can group the creature stranded on the inside, but neither will be able to act on it.
• The Vampire's Hypnotise ability creates a similar effect to Grouping, except with originally hostile creatures.
• Grouping is one of the few actions that make a Jackpot Winner act normal and temporarily overwrite its gambling desire - in reality, collecting its wins from a Treasury.

Hero Parties

Hero parties spawn in Hero Gates. Unlike Dungeon Keeper, Hero Gates can be destroyed to prevent heroes spawning in them.